


Reconnecting

by TantalumCobalt



Series: It's a Twin Thing [3]
Category: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: And Natasha is awesome, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly feels, Clint is an awesome older brother, Crossover, No Slash, Post Avengers, Post Ghost Protocol, Tony meets the youngest Barton, Will and Clint are twins, deaf!Clint, partiallyblind!Will, slightly AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-17
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-23 09:33:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3763135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TantalumCobalt/pseuds/TantalumCobalt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will shows up at Avengers Tower because he needs his brother after the disaster that was the Ghost Protocol mission. He meets Tony Stark, the only Avenger he hasn't met yet, and after their mini family reunion, the boys get up to mischief. It's a good thing Natasha is there to rein them in (and maybe encourage them a little bit...).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reconnecting

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys :) I can't believe I'm back so soon with another story, but Clint and Will just demand to be written!
> 
> This one was supposed to be light hearted and fluffy but then Will reminded me that he has issues that need to be dealt with after MI:GP so it's not as humorous as I originally intended it to be. Next time though I promise there'll be a bit of twin mix-up and the boys will have some fun messing with Tony :)
> 
> As you'll probably see from reading this, I can't decide whether I ship Natasha and Clint or Natasha and Will more so in my headcannon she dated both and is still indecisive on which Barton brother she wants...
> 
> I'm going to stop my rambling now and you can read on and hopefully enjoy!!

Will's phone alerts him to a new text message the moment he steps onto the curb outside the Tower.

**About time you came to visit.**

The second and third ones come as the automatic sliding doors open to admit him into the air-conditioned lobby.

**The password is strawberry.**

**Don't ask. It was Stark's idea.**

He's crossing the lobby to the reception desk when the fourth message comes.

**Her name's Alicia btw. She and Judy always switch nametags on Wednesdays.**

Will stops in front of the desk and smiles at the young woman sitting behind the computer. His phone buzzes again.

**She took her break at 1:03 and was back at the desk at 1:27.**

"Good afternoon. Welcome to Avengers Tower, how may I help you?" Her voice is practiced and professional. She doesn't even look up from the screen in front of her.

Will's eyes drift to the nametag pinned above her right breast. Judy. "Good morning Alicia," he says. "I was hoping you could direct me to the Penthouse."

Alicia looks up and blinks in surprise. "Clint?

Will smirks. This is his favourite part of being a twin. "Nice to see you too Alicia. I left my security card upstairs when I came down to grab a strawberry milkshake at lunchtime. I was hoping you could let me up."

Alicia bites her lip, eyes darting over to the armed guards standing by the doors. "I don't know, I didn't see you come down..."

"I came down about quarter past one. You must have been on your break." Will  shrugs, leans across the desk. "I hate to ask you to risk your job, 'Licia, but if Nat finds out I couldn't deliver her muffins-" He lifts the brown paper bag in his hand."-because I was stupid enough to forget my security card... Well, let's just say I probably won't be able to hold my bow for a week."

Alicia hesitates, then sighs. "Okay. Fine. But if I lose my job over this Clint Barton I swear to God you won't be able to hold your bow for a month!"

Will's face splits into a grin. "I knew I could count on you," he says as he follows her behind the desk to the private elevators.

She rolls her eyes. "Uh huh. Well I expect coffee waiting for me when my shift starts tomorrow."

Will steps past her into the elevator when she swipes her security card. "I'll deliver it personally." Well, _Clint_ will deliver it personally.

\--

Natasha is waiting for him when he exits the elevator on the penthouse level. "Hey _Clint_ ," she says looking him over. "Nice shirt."

Will grins as he pulls her into a hug. "I had to get up here somehow. Thanks for the messages, by the way, I hadn't realised the password had changed since last week."

The Russian raises an eyebrow. "And my muffins?"

Will passes her the brown bag in his hand. "Double choc-chip with blueberry right? I got a banana and pecan one for Clint too." He follows her into the open kitchen area. "Where is he anyway?"

Natasha shrugs, busying herself with Stark's state-of-the-art coffee machine. "Haven't seen him since last night. Do you want one?" Will shakes his head in response to the mug she holds up. "Did you tell him you were coming?"

Will wanders over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that line the wall behind the breakfast bar. The view from this height is spectacular and if his eyesight was better he'd probably be able to spot the building where he and Clint rented their first apartment. It hadn't been much at the time, is probably even less now, but it had been freedom and, until they'd both been snatched up by secret intelligence agencies, it had been home. They'd even had a dog. 

After a few minutes, Natasha joins him. "Is that a no then?" She asks. "Or did you not hear me?"

Will gives her a look; they both know he's the twin with the good hearing. "I sent him a text last night, said I was in town. He didn't reply."

"Ah." Natasha nods like all life's secrets have been revealed. "That's because he threw his phone off the balcony last night and has been too busy sulking to get a new one off Stark."

The midday sun reflecting off the many high rise, glass paneled buildings hurts Will's eyes and he turns away to look further into the living room area. "He hasn't had tantrums in a while," he offers when he realises Natasha's eyes are following him. He doesn't meet her gaze.

Natasha runs her fingernails along the join between two of the floor length glass panels. She opens her mouth to answer, or call him out on it, but the _ding_  of the elevators, loud in the otherwise silent room, interrupts whatever she'd been about to say.

"Barton! Romanoff!" Tony calls as the metal doors part. "Are you ready?"

Will and Natasha exchange looks. Will's gleeful and just the slightest bit malevolent; Natasha's carefully blank save for just enough disapproval to warn Will that no, he definitely shouldn't do whatever he's planning to do.

"Ready for what, Stark?" Natasha asks.

Tony pauses on the steps down into the carpeted lounge area. "The charity lunch, remember? I told you." He points at Will. "Why didn’t you tell her?"

"Me?" Wills asks because he needs to clarify that, yes, Tony Stark is talking to him and, yes, he seems to think he’s spoken to him before. And, since Will is mostly sure he’s never actually met the man behind the faceplate before, he can only reach one conclusion. "Oh, you mean Clint?" So much for fucking with Stark by pretending to be Clint...

Tony takes careful steps towards the duo, stepping around the white leather lounge and stopping so that the only thing between them is the glass coffee table. Will feels a rush of anticipation at being so close to the only member of the Avengers who he’s never met before; consequently, the only one he doesn’t trust. It may just be a trick of the light, but Will can see a wariness in Stark’s eyes that isn’t quite hidden by the casual expression that seems fixed on his face. Beside him, Natasha shifts so that she’s partially blocking him. They both know he doesn’t need the protection, that he’s perfectly capable of handling himself, but a part of him is thankful of it all the same. Nat knows Stark, she can handle him without hurting him. Besides, he has a cover story to maintain. It really wouldn't do for everyone to know he's a super spy for a different agency.

"Romanoff." Stark’s gaze doesn’t leave Will. "Is there something you’d like to tell me about your partner? Any recent hits to the head? Come into contact with any mind-controlling wannabe gods lately?"

Will feels himself tense up at the implicit meaning behind the billionaire’s words. He’s not his brother and he’s not going to flip his shit at the not-so-subtle mention of Loki, but he definitely doesn’t appreciate the reminder that his brother – _his other half_ – had been turned into the zombie equivalent of a loaded gun, Loki’s personal pet to point-and-shoot at whatever he wanted.

And when he calls Clint his other half he means it quite literally. They’ve always been connected in a way that is beyond the normal twin vibe, almost magical (if you believe in that kind of thing). It’s not as clear-cut as whatever happens to one happens to the other, but it’s pretty damn close. They feel each other’s pain, they feel each other’s emotions, they know when something is wrong the moment it happens. But it has limits. The further they are from each other, the weaker the connection. And when Loki had taken Clint as his personal trick monkey Will had been halfway across the world, following Ethan Hunt’s orders like a good little soldier instead of getting on the first flight back to the States and finding his brother because _he hadn’t known it had happened._ Every time he's tried to connect with Clint he could only feel darkness and its a feeling that still keeps him awake some nights.

 _"Sir?"_ A calm British voice interrupts Will’s internal monologue. " _The man you’re speaking of is not Agent Barton."_

Will tries not to be too amused at the way Stark very carefully doesn’t take a step back. "You wanna try that again, JARVIS?" Tony tilts his head to address the comment to a spot on the wall somewhere above Will’s right shoulder. It’s a clever tactic, trying to draw Will’s attention away, but the IMF agent doesn’t move. He's scoped the room; he knows there isn't a camera there.

 _"The man with Agent Romanoff is not Clint Barton, sir,"_ JARVIS repeats. " _However, I do not perceive him to be a threat."_

"Then why the hell does he _look like him_?" Tony pauses. "JARVIS, did someone figure out how to clone people and forget to tell me about it?"

Beside him, Will feels Natasha’s hand brush his side when she crosses her arms. Until that moment, he hadn't realised just how close they were standing. "This is ridiculous, Stark," she snaps. "If you want to know who Will is _ask him._   I thought Pepper was trying to instill better manners into you…"

Stark raises his hands in surrender and Will notices the glint of sunlight off the gold band on his left hand. Huh. Either he’d been somewhere remote and disconnected from the world at the time, or the tabloids didn’t report everything about Tony Stark’s private life. Well, more likely they didn’t _know_ everything about Tony Stark’s private life, because Will is pretty sure they wouldn’t have missed reporting that he's  _married_.

"Okay, okay," the engineer mutters. He points a finger at Will in a way that is probably meant to be threatening but really isn’t. "Three questions. One; who are you? Two; why do you look like Barton? And three; how the hell did you get into my tower?"

Will runs a hand through his hair and he sees Natasha twitch out of the corner of his eye. He raises his eyebrow at her in a silent _what?_ And she rolls her eyes before reaching up to smooth his hair back down. He cannot help but stick his tongue out in return. 

Stark clears his throat (again, not so subtly) and Will turns back to him with an easy (fake) smile. "My name’s William Brandt, formerly Barton. I look like Clint because we’re brothers. And I got into your tower because Nat invited me up." He lifts a hand to his hair again, but Natasha swats it away. "Now is the interrogation over? I gotta find Clint before he does something stupid."

_If he hasn't already done it..._

"JARVIS?" Natasha pipes up before Tony can blink away the surprise and get his voice back.

_"Yes, Agent Romanoff?"_

"Is the hawk in his nest?"

_"I believe Agent Barton is in the archery range, Miss Romanoff. Shall I tell him you require his presence?"_

Natasha is already striding from the room and Will hurries to follow her. "No, we'll go to him." Her eyes flicker over to Will as they step into the elevator."‘It’s meant to be a surprise."

"Wait!" Tony calls. Will turns without slowing to see the billionaire hurrying after them. "There is no way I'm missing this."

"Missing what?" Natasha asks.

Tony gives her a 'duh' look. "I know _you_ can sneak up on Barton and I'm betting he-" Cue finger pointing at Will once again. "-can as well. That birdbrain is way too smug about his ninja skills and I'm not missing this golden opportunity to see him out ninja'd."

Will snorts. It's been almost six years since he's managed to get the drop on Clint (excepting that one time when Clint was in the hospital and so doped up on morphine he could barely pronounce his own name). He doubts their arrival will be a surprise, hell, he wouldn't be surprised if Clint already knows they're in the elevator. He tells Tony as much.

\--

The archery range is one of Clint’s favourite places in the Tower, second only to the roof. It’s somewhere that he knows he can go to be away from the team. Somewhere that nobody, save Tasha, will interrupt him for fear of an arrow through the eye (or somewhere else unpleasant). It's the one place in the tower he can count on getting a little me time, and that's something he desperately needs right now.

That's why he's a little surprised (and kinda pissed because, hello,  _me time_ ) when JARVIS informs him that Stark, Tasha and his brother are on their way down. Of course, he'd already known Will was there; he'd felt their connection growing stronger the moment his brother's plane landed on the tarmack at JFK International, and it had only strengthened since then, until it was an almost physical pull.

Clint will be the first to admit that he's missed his twin. Well, okay, maybe second because Will's always been better with words and he'll probably get in first. Just because he's missed him, though, does not mean he wants him to show up at the Tower while he's in a Mood, purely because he knows his brother will try to snap him out of it (and, going by his track record, he'll succeed). Usually it's not a problem because Clint _knows_ he has issues. He knows he blames himself for things that aren't his fault, things that are out of his control. This time though... this time it really was his fault. (Even as he tells himself that though, it feels wrong, like they're not his words).

"Stupid," Clint mutters. "Stupid, stupid, _stupid._ "

Each word is punctuated by the thud of an arrow hitting the target. He's been at this for hours; sitting high up among the beams, shooting at the moving targets a hundred feet away. The others think he does it because it calms him. It's quite the opposite, actually. He shoots because it makes his blood pump; makes the adrenaline surge through his veins; increases his hyper awareness. It helps him focus.

And he hates it when things interrupt his focus. Like the heavy metal door, designed to withstand any stray arrows (thoughtful of Tony, but that was before the billionaire learnt that Hawkeye never misses his target), opening soundlessly. If Clint hadn't been waiting for it, he'd probably have missed it.

"Clint?" Will calls.

Clint leans backwards until he's hanging upside down from the knees up. Without a word he looses another arrow, sending it thudding into the door frame just as Will steps into the room. His twin huffs in irritation and snatches the arrow out of the plaster.

"Real mature Clint," Will snaps.

Clint shrugs. Nobody said he had to be mature.

Natasha and Tony follow Will into the room but they both hang back by the door when Will saunters across the room to stand, hands on hips, below Clint's gently swinging form.

"Yeah, I don't think he's happy to see you," Tony calls, as helpful as ever.

Clint observes his brother's rather dramatic eyeroll. "I told you he wouldn't be."

"No you didn't."

"I figured it was implied."

"Well maybe-"

"Enough!" Natasha snaps. "Stop bickering like adolescents. Barton, if you aren't down here in five seconds I'll come up and get you."

Clint takes about half a second to conclude that having Tasha climb up after him would end terribly for everyone involved. Without further ado he pulls him self back onto the beam then, gripping the edge with both hands, he pushes up into a handstand. He lets himself fall forward and when he lets go he somersaults twice in midair before landing in a crouch on the springboard beneath. He lifts his head at the sound of Tony's slow applause.

"I had no idea you were such a circus freak birdbrain," the billionaire says.

Clint twitches. "Fuck off, Tony." That is not a part of his past that they need to talk about. Ever.

Will is watching him with raised eyebrows when Clint stands slowly. He meets his brothers gaze unflinchingly and Will rolls his eyes at the stubbornness.

"I brought muffins," Will says when the silence starts to become uncomfortable.

Clint looks over his brother's shoulder at Natasha. He does not want to have the discussion he knows Will wants to have with an audience. She nods. With a small shooing motion she herds Tony out of the room, silencing his protests with a lethal look and promises of muffins. 

"Does this mean you're not coming to the charity lunch?" Tony calls over his shoulder. Clint flips him off.

As soon as they're both gone Clint lets himself relax. "Hey, Willy." He grins. His life motto is 'if you don't want to talk about something pretend there's nothing to talk about'. "How was Russia?"

Will just shakes his head and it's then that Clint realises that maybe his little brother isn't here to deal with his problems, that maybe Will has problems of his own that he needs big brother to fix.

"Hey, J?" Clint asks. "Is anyone listening?"

_"I can turn off all audio feeds if you wish, Agent Barton."_

Clint nods. "Yeah, J, that'd be good. Thanks."

_"Not a problem, Agent Barton."_

Clint becomes acutely aware that Will is staring at him with wide eyes.  "What?" He mutters.

Will starts to shake his head, then changes his mind and shrugs instead. "It's nothing."

The two brothers stare at each other. Now that there's nobody listening, it's just a question of who will make the first move. Clint plops down on the floor and crosses his legs. Will starts to pace.

"I'm sorry," Will says eventually, voice shaky. He doesn't stop pacing. 

Clint tilts his head. _What for?_

Will spreads his arms and comes to a stand still. _This. Everything. Nothing._  They've always been on the same wavelength but this time Clint's not sure what his brother's trying to say.

"It's not your fault," Clint says. Because even if he doesn't know what Will's talking about, he knows his brother needs reassurance.

"This time it is."

Clint sighs. "Come 'ere." He taps the floor beside him.

Will hesitates. "You're not mad?"

"I don't know what I'm supposed to be mad about."

Clint makes grabbing motions and Will finally complies, sitting by his side on the springy floor. Clint immediately pulls his brother against his side, wrapping one arm around his shoulders and using the other hand to play with Will's short hair. He's had a lot of experience being the older brother and he knows that even if his presence isn't calming, the fingers carding through Will's hair will be enough to relax him. They sit like that for a long time before Clint speaks again.

"You gonna tell me why I should be mad at you?"

“We’re connected. You could just read my mind,” Will points out petulantly.

“And where would be the fun in that?” Clint pokes Wills cheek. “Now spill, bro. 

"I made you throw your phone off a balcony," Will mutters. And, nope, that's definitely not a sulk.

Clint blinks.  _Huh._ "Well that explains it."

Will sits up. "That's it?"

"That's what?"

"I show up in New York out of the blue and because of our stupid twin connection my fucked up emotions become your fucked up emotions and you throw your phone off a balcony and all you have to say is 'that explains it'." Will takes a deep breath, running his hand through his now wild-looking hair. "Why aren't you mad?"

 _Because you're my baby brother,_ is what Clint wants to say, but what he actually says is; "Because that's not what's really bothering you."

Will seems to deflate. "How do you always know?" he mutters, picking absently at the hem of his light blue t-shirt.

"Because of our stupid twin connection," Clint grins.

Will flicks his arm. "Idiot."

Clint's grin broadens. "Just remember that we're identical."

"We _look_  identical."

"Nah, I'm the better looking twin."

Will snorts. "Whatever helps you sleep at night bro."

Clint shoves his arm. "What would help me sleep at night is you telling me what's wrong so I know who I have to beat up."

"Way to kill the mood," Will mutters with a roll of his (identical) brown eyes.

_"Will."_

_"Clint."_

Clint reaches over to pull Will's phone from his pocket. "Fine, don't tell me. I'll just call Fury and get him to contact the IMF..."

"No." Will sighs and runs his hand through his hair again. Clint's beginning to see why Natasha finds the action so irritating. "It's Ethan Hunt, okay?"

Clint tosses the phone back to Will. "IMF's golden boy Ethan Hunt?"

"Yep."

"From Croatia?"

"Ye- wait how do you know that was him?"

Clint gives him a Look. _That's not the point, Will._

"I was... Uh, forced to work on a mission  with him," Will admits.

Clint studies him through narrowed eyes. Will's shoulders are hunched and he's not meeting Clint's eyes but he doesn't seem as... well, as _mad_ as Clint would have expected. "This guy ruined your career, Will. Please tell me you at least punched him in his smug face."

Will smiles faintly. "Not exactly. Between the IMF being disavowed, the Secretary being shot and the villain of the week trying to incite global nuclear war, the opportunity didn't exactly present itself."

"Shit. Sounds like you've had quite a week." Clint sounds vaguely impressed. Of course Clint would be impressed by something like that.

"Yeah, well," Will shrugs. "Not quite an alien invasion but I wouldn't call it boring."

Clint looks him over. "And you're okay?" 

"If by okay you mean physically then yeah, I'm fine."

"And mentally?" Clint shifts closer to his brother, resting a hand in his arm. He's not afraid to admit that he's the tactile twin. "Do I have to give you a straight jacket for Christmas?"

Will huffs a laugh. "Only prolonged exposure to you can drive me that insane."

"So you're good?" Clint asks, eyes serious.

"It's been a stressful week," Will admits. "But I think a few cold beers and an Indiana Jones marathon will solve the problem." _And just being near my brother._

Clint stands up and makes a show of brushing imaginary dust from his pants. Then he holds out a hand and hauls Will to his feet as well. "Sounds like a solid plan, little bro. Except we're watching Mad Max not Indiana Jones."

"No we're not," Will protests even as lets Clint lead him out of the range and into the elevator.

"But _sci-fi_ , Willy," Clint argues.

"The battle of New York must have been a dream come true for you," Will retorts.

"So people actually call it that?" Clint wonders as the elevator starts moving upwards.

Will bites back a sigh. "You know I love you, bro, but you really are clueless sometimes."

 _"I don't mean to interrupt,"_ JARVIS intones. _"But the other Avengers are waiting for you in the common area. Shall I tell them you're on your way?"_

Clint and Will exchange identical malevolent grins. "You do that, J," Clint agrees. "We just have to make a quick stop on my floor first."

\--

"About time!" Tony declares as soon as the elevator doors open. "How long does it take to have a family reunion?"

Will and Clint step out, both dressed identically in dark denim jeans and light blue t-shirts. "Shut up, Tony," they chorus.

And, woah, yeah. Tony takes a step back because, yeah, that's not creepy at all. Behind him Natasha snickers and Tony whirls around to point at her. "Are you in on this?" He demands.

Natasha shrugs from her place on the love seat and lifts one hand to study manicured nails. "I can tell them apart, if that's what you mean. But, no, it wasn't my idea."

Clint (or not-Clint?) collapses gracefully on the love seat beside Natasha and rests an arm along the back of the cushions behind her. She leans into him. The other twin makes his way over to where Steve and Bruce are seated on the other lounge and kicks his shoes off before perching on the back with his legs crossed at the ankles on the seat cushion. Tony looks carefully between them both before nodding to himself.

"You're Clint," he says, pointing with his glass of scotch to the one sitting with Natasha.

"Am I?"

"Yep."

"How do you know?" Clint (or not-Clint) cocks his head.

Tony gestures between the twin and the Russian spy. "You're all... lovey-dovey with her."

Natasha takes a sip of her vodka. "If that's your evidence you might want to rethink it, Stark. I went out with Will before Clint and I became partners."

"Really?" Bruce pushes his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Doesn't that make things awkward?"

The twin next to Bruce shrugs. "Not really."

"So you have a thing for twins?" Tony practically leers.

Natasha smiles, eyes flickering between the Barton twins. "More like a thing for Barton's."

Steve leans forward and cranes his neck to look at the twin beside Bruce and then over at the one beside Natasha. "He's right."

Not-Clint (or Clint) cocks his head in a mirror image of Clint (or not-Clint)'s earlier action. "Who's right about what?"

"You're Will," Steve answers with a nod to the twin beside Bruce.

Will grins, giving an easy shrug and leaning back against the wall behind him. "You got us."

Steve smiles. "It's good to see you, Will. How've you been?"

"Good," Will says and his eyes meet Clint's. "Work's been boring."

Tony's glass clinks when he sits it down on the table and takes a seat in one of the armchairs. "What is it that you do again?" the billionaire asks.

"Investment banking," Clint supplies. "Will got the boring genes."

"Smart genes," Will corrects, but he's smiling so Tony guesses that he doesn't really mind the jab. "And Clint got the reckless genes."

Bruce looks up from the tablet he'd been tapping away on. No doubt working on another science-y project. "You should both have the same genes," he points out. "You're identical."

"I don't know about that," Natasha says, appraising both twins over the rim of her glass. "I definitely think Will's better looking." 

Will blows her kisses when she winks at him while Clint clutches dramatically at his heart. "You wound me, Nat!" The archer cries.

Steve watches the exchange while he sips his beer. "I think it would be confusing," he says slowly. "Dating both of them, I mean."

'Why?" Natasha asks.

"It's just... they really are identical," Steve explains. "Even with my enhanced eyesight, I can't find any differences in their appearance. And they act the same, too. Didn't you ever, you know, mix them up?"

Natasha arches an eyebrow. "You mean did I ever have sex with the wrong twin?"

Steve flushes, but he doesn't have the chance to stutter out a 'that's not what I mean' or an 'I actually meant' before Tony cuts in. The billionaire had been oddly (worryingly) silent for most of the conversation.

"How about with both twins?" Tony asks with a suggestive smirk.

"Twice," Clint says with a roguish grin.

"That she had sex with you both or that she had sex with the wrong twin?" Bruce asks wonderingly.

"That she mixed us up," Will clarifies. "And it was three time, actually."

"Really?" Clint asks.

Will nods. "You're forgetting Madrid."

Natasha grins and leans further into Clint's side. "That time was particularly memorable."

"Was I there?" Clint's eyebrows furrow in thought. "Wait, which one of us were you going out with at that time Nat?"

Natasha taps her lip with the tip of one nail. "You, I think. But it could have been Will."

Tony coughs and splutters after taking a drink of his scotch. "You don't even remember who you dated when?" he manages to choke out between gasps for air.

Natasha gives him a scathing look. "Of course I do. It's just the months that I semi-dated both of them that are a little blurry."

Steve cocks his head. It makes him look more like a puppy than a super soldier and is, quite frankly, adorable. "How do you semi-date two people at the same time?"

Will leans over Bruce's shoulder to catch Steve's eye. "She could show you, if you'd like," the younger twin offers. "Since she's not technically dating either of us right now."

Bruce pulls his glasses off and rubs the bridge of his nose. "I don't remember you being this confusing last time we met," he mutters.

"Are you sure it wasn't me?" Clint asks.

Bruce shakes his head. "I'm really not sure of anything anymore."

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Tony (as usual) pulls all attention back onto himself.

"You mean my sex life?" Natasha's tone is equal parts amused and threatening. The effect is more than a little frightening.

"And ours," Clint and Will add.

"That's creepy," Tony mutters. 

“Why do you think we do it?”

"And fascinating," Tony continues to mutter.

"Can you read each other's minds?" Steve wonders.

"Yes," they chorus. "It's a twin thing."

Natasha smacks Clint's arm and Tony observes Will rubbing his own arm in the same place. He makes a mental note to question the twins about that later.

"Play nice, boys," Natasha is saying. "You know how delicate Stark's sanity is, and Fury might just kill you if you break him."

"Sorry, Nat," they both mutter (still perfectly in time).

Tony just shakes his head in awe. "That's amazing. Can I experiment on you some time?"

"Absolutely not," Steve interjects at the same time Bruce says "I think that's illegal, Tony."

Tony stands from his seat and heads towards the elevators. "You think I care?" He snorts. "It's all in the name of science, Brucie! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a rapidly boiling acidic mixture to get back to..."

Will watches him leave with a thoughtful expression. "Is he always like that?"

"Self-serving?" Steve suggests.

"Upfront?" Natasha adds.

"Callous?" Bruce offers.

"Impulsive," Clint clarifies. "And yeah, most of the time."

"Huh." Will nods slowly. "So he's kinda like Ethan, but more... Rich."

Clint laughs. "I guess you could say that."

Steve and Bruce look confused. Natasha looks unfazed; Will really wouldn't be surprised if she knows exactly who Ethan is even though he doesn’t remember ever mentioning IMF’s golden boy to her. "Who's Ethan?" Steve asks.

"Just some guy I work with."

"He's a bit of a dickhead," Clint says. And Will should probably have more respect for the guy after helping him save the world, but he cannot help but agree with his twin. In fact, he agrees with Clint on pretty much anything (except the great taco incident of ’05, but they agreed never to speak of that again).

"I don't think I've met him," Natsha comments. "Maybe you could introduce me at that work function you mentioned earlier."

Clint makes a show of looking betrayed even though they both know Will never mentioned any sort of work function to her. They’ll probably never know how Natasha seems to know everything that’s going on with their lives. "You're going on a date with Will? I thought there was something special between us, Nat!"

The redhead rolls her eyes at his dramatics. "I'm not technically dating either of you, remember?"

Will perks up. "Does that mean you can come to my work Christmas party in two weeks?"

"Sure." Natasha smiles. "Do I get to meet Ethan?"

Clint sits up straight and Natasha huffs as she's dislodged from her position against his side. "Ooh, I wanna come too!" The archer looks overjoyed at the idea.

"No. Absolutely not." Will shakes his head vehemently. "I do not want to have to explain to my boss why Ethan turns up dead at the end of the night."

"Why would Clint kill Ethan?" Steve asks. "And wouldn't a bow be a bit... conspicuous at a Christmas party?"

Clint grins and pulls s knife from... somewhere. The fading afternoon sunlight glints off the blade as he twirls it between his fingers. "What makes you think I'd use my bow?"

Bruce stands from his seat, fiddling with his glasses. "And on that note, I think I should go make sure Tony hasn’t blown anything up... It was nice to see you again, Will." The scientist waves slightly as he heads for the elevators. "And, uh, good luck with your work thing."

"I think I'm gonna need it," Will mutters as he waves back. 

Steve stands as well. "I'm going to head out as well," he says. "It was good to see you, Will."

As soon as the super soldier is gone, Will points at first Clint then Natasha. "Neither of you are going anywhere near Ethan while there's anything resembling a weapon nearby."

Clint tosses the knife into the air and catches it. "No promises, bro."

Will buries his head in his hands. "I knew coming to you was a bad idea..."

Natasha's lips twitch as she fights a smile at their antics. They all know he wouldn’t have thought of going anywhere else. "Are you staying for dinner, Will?" she asks.

Will lifts his head to glance at his watch. "Shit. Is it 4 o'clock already?" he asks, scrambling down from his perch. "I was supposed to meet Jane fifteen minutes ago..."

"Work stuff?" Clint asks.

"Something like that," Will agrees as he scrambles down from his perch and grabs his shoes. "Can you give me a lift?"

"Sure." Clint nods. "Where to?"

Will reaches into his jacket pocket and grabs his phone, swearing colourfully when he bangs his shin on the coffee table as he hops around trying to get his shoe on. "Here," he says and tosses the phone to Clint, who catches it on reflex. He (finally) manages to pull both shoes on and straightens up. "There's an address in the last text from Richard Head."

Clint snorts. "Ethan?"

Will smirks. "I knew you'd like it."

Natasha resists the urge to roll her eyes. "You're both so childish," she mutters as she grabs a set of keys from the odds 'n' ends bowl on the kitchen bench.

"But you love us!"

Natasha shakes her head but she's smiling fondly. "And I often wonder why I do."

Clint snatches the car keys out of the air when she lobs them his way. "You think Tony'll mind if we take the Audi?"

Natasha shrugs. "Probably."

Will pushes his brother ahead of him. "Even more reason to do it," he says with a grin.

Clint pushes back and when Will shoves his shoulder it escalated into a mini wrestling match. It ends a few minutes later when Will's phone starts ringing and he struggles to dig in his pocket to reach it and block Clint's attempts to wiggle out from where Will's got him pinned to the floor.

"Hey Jane," Will answers breathlessly. "Just one moment-"

Will crawls off his brother and collapses on the floor beside him, ignoring Clint's "ow, Will, the fuck was that for?" when his elbow (accidentally on purpose) digs into Clint's stomach.

 _"Am I interrupting something?"_ Jane sounds vaguely amused. _"Should I call back later?"_

"No, it's fine." Will knocks away Clint's hand. "Sorry I'm late. I was just visiting my delinquent brother."

"Hey!" Clint protests. Will reaches over to smack his arm but his hand is stopped by Natasha's fingers grabbing his wrist. _When the hell did she get over here...?_

 _"It's fine,"_  Jane says. " _I was just calling to make sure you hadn't been mugged or kidnapped or something."_

That makes Will pause. "You think I'd let myself get kidnapped?"

Jane laughs. _"Well, I'd hope not."_

 _"_ There was that one time in Ohio," Clint whispers from where he's moved closer to listen to Jane's end of the conversation. Will chooses to ignore him.

"Did I miss anything important?" He asks Jane.

 _"Not really,"_ she answers. _"Ethan just gave us an info packet and a location to meet. I can drop it to your hotel if you like. Where are you staying?"_

Will doesn't even have the chance to open his mouth before Clint is taking the phone from him and putting it to his own ear.

"Don't worry about it," Clint tells Jane. "I'm staying with my brother tonight."

 _"Uh, okay,"_  Will can hear Jane respond. " _I'll just text you the location then."_

 _"_ Sounds great," Clint answers, dodging Will's attempts to grab the phone. "Bye Jane!" Then he hangs up.

"What the hell, Clint?" Will demands. He pushes himself into a sitting position, brushing off Natasha's helping hand.

Clint looks completely unapologetic as he stares up at Will from his position sprawled across the floor. "You're staying here tonight."

Will runs a hand through his hair. "I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?"

"Nope," Clint says, popping the 'p'. "We're have a movie marathon and getting drunk while you tell me how you ended up back in the field on a team with Ethan Hunt of all people."

Will sighs and flops back on the carpet, pulling Natasha down with him. He rests his head on Clint’s chest and Clint’s fingers automatically move to play with his hair. It’s natural and comforting and he lets himself stop and just feel his and Clint’s connection. Let’s all the darkness that had built up in his mind after the fuckup in Russia melt away under his brother’s comforting touch.

“Does this mean we don’t get to take the Audi for a spin?”


End file.
